Fair Winds and Following Seas
by teh-saltiest-guy-in-Stormalong
Summary: Sector H has been taken over by King Sandy and his royal Armada. The KND has decided to form a new branch to deal with this threat and Numbuh 4 feels he should answer this call. A Tale of Adventure, Romance, and Battle...
1. The Call to Serve

"So whot's this 'big announcement' supposed to be about, anyway?" Numbuh 4 inquired, his patience having run out long ago.

Sector V was commanded to report to KND Moonbase for a special and very urgent announcement. It was not only Sector V, but all KND Earth Operatives. This was never done except in the most dire and dark circumstances and Sector V knew it. They were anxious. They were _scared_. They had received the message that morning. On it, Supreme Leader Numbuh 362 instructed that all KND Operatives report to KND Moonbase for a Earth-wide mission brief. This was bad. Something was going to happen or something had already happened, but, either way, it was not good.

"For the last time, Numbuh 4, I don't know!" replied Numbuh 1 curtly.

"But you're our leader! And you're good in with 362! You gotta to know _something_!" Numbuh 4 pleaded.

"Not this time, Numbuh 4. Not even I know what's going on. I'll find out with along with you." resigned Numbuh 1.

"We're comin' up on KND Moonbase, Numbuh 1," informed Numbuh 2.

"Keep her steady and find a place to dock," Numbuh 1 commanded. "_Finally some answers," _he thought.

The Moonbase was polluted with noise. Thousands upon thousands of operatives and languages filled the halls. Every once in a while you could make out a scuttlebutt about the message. _Father's got some brand new doomsday cannon! Mr. Boss is gonna blow up all the rainbow monkey factories! Yipper cards aren't gonna be printed anymore! _Each one more far from the truth than the last...

Eventually, Sector V found themselves in the grand hall of the Moonbase. It had been a while since they last set foot here. They reminisced about watching the anointing of new operatives, fresh from the academy. They remembered when they first set foot in the hall and took the KND Oath and chose their operating Numbuh. But this time would not be so joyous.

"When's this cruddy announcement gonna go down!? I got a lot of super important stuff I gotta take care of!" Numbuh 4 had had it with waiting around. His anxiousness had now turned to anger.

"Oh, it's prolly nothin', silly! Try not to worry about it so much!" Numbuh 3 said, trying to calm Numbuh 4. In actuality, she was just as impatient.

After what seemed like days, Supreme Leader Numbuh 362 took her place at the podium at the very head of the colossal room. There was no need to call for silence. The room was hushed the instant the crowd laid eyes on her. There was a huge screen behind her with a close up of her face so the whole room could see her. Her expression was of silent severity. She did not speak for a whole five minutes.

"My fellow Kids Next Door...you are probably wondering why I have summoned you here today. It is my deepest wish that the reason would be that school has been outlawed...but it's not. No, my friends, the reason isn't a joyful one. Yesterday...Sector H...was deliberately attacked...and...defeated. The reason for the attack was to gain dominance in the region in which Sector H had jurisdiction: the United State of Hawaii. The attackers have already risen their flag over the islands and do, in fact, have control of the entire chain. But, who? Who could have done this? The Adults? No, my fellow Kids Next Door, it was none other than one of our own kind: a kid. I know this may come as a shock to you all, but please gather yourselves. This certain kid has actually had a few encounters with Sector V, but has been a relatively small threat until now. Kids Next Door! Look at our attacker! This is our enemy!"

"No...there's...no way..." Numbuh 3 said in shock.

"_That_ kid!?" Numbuh 2 exclaimed.

"I've had enough of that kid! When I get me 'ands on 'im i'll make 'im wish he'd had neva been born!" Numbuh 4 shouted in rage.

"You've _GOT_ to be kidding me..." Numbuh 5 said flatly.

Numbuh 362 went on with her speech.

"The attacker identifies himself as KING SANDY. We received an emergency transmission from Sector H in which the aggressors were seen destroying the Sector H tree house. We will now play the transmisssion."

The big screen behind Numbuh 362 turned to the emergency transmission from Sector H. It faded in and out with static.

"Come in Moonbase! Come in Moonbase! This is Sector H! We have an emergency here! We are under heavy fire from unidentified ships off the coast! Some smaller ships have landed and unloaded infantry! We won't be able to hold them off! Requesting immediate assistance! NOOOOOO!" The kid giving the transmission was dragged away by two big goons covered in seashell looking armor. In his place appeared none other than King Sandy.

"Attention Kids Next Door Moonbase! This is King Sandy! Rightful ruler of every last beach on this Earth! I have taken a liking to your Sector H's tree house and have decided to grace it with the honor of being the location for my NEW SAND CASTLE! It will be from this location that I will usher in a new beach world order! My rule will spread to every last beach on this planet and only I will get to choose who may swim and play on them! Oh, and don't try to stop me. If you do, I'll personally see to it that every last one of you gets sent to the dungeon! LONG LIVE KING SANDY! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"This is so horrrible! Nobody will be able to swim or make sand castles ever again!" Numbuh 3 cried.

"Don't worry Numbuh 3. I'm sure they already have a solution." Numbuh 1 said, trying to comfort her.

The big screen went back to the close up of Numbuh 362. She took her place at the podium again.

"Do not despair my fellow Kids Next Door. I have Numbuhs 1013 and 1775 here to offer a solution."

Two operatives stepped out from behind the big screen and walked up to Numbuh 362. They saluted her, and she them, and one of them took their place at the podium.

"I am Numbuh 1013, High Commanding Sea Oriented 2x4 Technology Officer. My associate, Numbuh 1775 is the same as myself. We have both worked at the KND Underwaterbase and have extensive Sea Combat training and experience. Intelligence has gathered what they can on King Sandy. What we know is that King Sandy has somehow rallied a very large army to take over Sector H. Probably promising them that, once he is proclaimed ruler of all beaches, they can swim wherever, whenever, and for however long they want. He amassed a very large Armada of ships and ordered a ground strike against Sector H. After conquering Sector H, he then set up a blockade of his ships to prevent any assistance to Sector H and to minimize any resistance against him. What Numbuh 1775 and myself are proposing is very radical but could go down in the Book of KND as a very historic decision. We propose that a first ever Kids Next Door Navy be formed to not just combat this menace, but to make sure that waters and beaches everywhere are safe for all of kid kind! It won't be easy and those who serve won't come home for a long while. But, rest assured, when you do come home, you return as hero's! Who among you will answer this call!?"

The grand hall erupted in cheer. The Moonbase itself seemed to quake. Any fear or shock the KND may have had died there and then. Instead, those dead feelings were replaced by anger and a sense of duty.

"I've made up mind," Numbuh 4 said flatly, "I'm joining the KND Navy..."

"What? But...Numbuh 4...Wally...I, I mean...w-we need you here..." Numbuh 3 offered.

"I'll come back, Numbuh 3, and when I do we'll be together again...me and, uh, the team I mean. Yea, that's it. Hahaha..." Numbuh 4 said, trying desperately to back-pedal.

"Yeah...You and...the team..." Numbuh 3 said, disappointed.


	2. Off to Basic

Everyone filed out of the Grand Hall. Anyone who wanted to serve in the KND Navy were instructed to report to the Moonbase shuttle docks immediately. There were thousands of kids who reported to the docks. They were all scattered chaotically. Numbuh 4 took his place in the crowd and waited for whatever was going to happen. Shortly, Numbuh 1013 showed up and took his place at the head of the crowd.

"GET IN LINES, NOW! I WANT YOU WORMS ORGANIZED!" Numbuh 1013 shouted at the potential recruits.

Numbuh 4 quickly found his place in a line. "_Bring it on. I can take anything they can throw at me," _Numbuh 4 thought.

Numbuh 1013 started yelling again. "I WANT ALL OF YOU WUSSIES TO UNDERSTAND THAT ONCE YOU'RE IN MY NAVY, THERE'S NO CRYING AND NO ESCAPE! IF YOU DON'T DON'T THINK YOU HAVE THE GUTS, GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

Not a single kid moved.

"Congratulations, worms! You are either brave or stupid by joining this branch. Look at the kids around you. There's a good chance they won't make it through basic training. I trust you worms still remember how to march?"

The recruits did not reply. They were too intimidated by Numbuh 1013. Numbuh 4 just chose not to reply.

"LET'S GET ONE THING STRAIGHT, YOU HEAPS OF SNOT! WHEN I OR A SUPERIOR OFFICER ADDRESS YOU, YOU WILL REPLY WITH YES SIR, NO SIR, I DON'T UNDERSTAND SIR, OR MOVING SIR! WHEN WE TELL YOU WORMS TO DO SOMETHING YOU WILL SAY AYE AYE SIR AND THEN PROMPTLY HOP TO IT! DO YOU UNDERSTAND, YOU BUNCH OF SNIVELING CRY BABIES!

"YES,SIR!" replied the recruits.

"NOW I BELIEVE I ASKED YOU A QUESTION! DO YOU REMEMBER HOW TO MARCH!?" yelled Numbuh 1013.

"YES, SIR!" replied the recruits, again.

"GOOD! DO YOU SEE THE SHUTTLES IN FRONT EACH OF YOUR LINES!?" asked Numbuh 1013

"YES, SIR!" answered the recruits.

"WHEN I SAY SO, YOU WILL ALL MARCH INTO THE SHUTTLES! FROM HERE YOU WILL BE TAKEN TO SECTOR G FOR BASIC TRAINING! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?" instructed Numbuh 1013.

"YES, SIR!" answered the recruits, once more.

"FORWARD! MARCH!" commanded Numbuh 1013.

All the lines moved forward into the massive shuttles. Slowly, but surely, every shuttle was filled. One by one, every shuttle took off.

"UGH! Are we flippin' there yet!? How far away can Sector G be anyway?! Where is it, Jupiter?" Numbuh 4 complained. Once again, he had lost his patience approximately ten minutes after his shuttle took off.

"No, it's in Greece. Hence the G." the kid next to Numbuh 4 said.

"Well Greece shoulda took off when we did and met us half way!" replied Numbuh 4.

The kid next to Numbuh 4 started laughing hard. "Wow! That's funny! What's your Numbuh?"the kid asked.

"Numbuh 4"

"Nice to meet ya, Numbuh 4. I'm Numbuh 777. My Sector just calls me Lucky, though."

"Yeah, yeah... Nice to meet ya, I guess..." Numbuh 4 was uninterested. He was far too annoyed to be cordial.

After what seemed like days, the shuttles started to come up on Sector G.

"Hey! It looks like we're here!" Lucky exclaimed.

" 'Bout freakin' time!" Numbuh 4 said, relieved.

Numbuh 4's shuttle landed and its rear door dropped open. Standing just outside was a kid wearing all black.

"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE! OUT OF THE SHUTTLE NOW! GET OUT AND FORM A NICE, STRAIGHT LINE!" instructed the kid in black.

Everyone got out of the shuttle and formed a nice, straight line as they were told. Numbuh 4 looked around. He saw that all the other recruits from the other shuttles were also in a line. Their kids in black were at the head of their lines, just as Numbuh 4's was at the head of his. He looked up. A cloudless blue sky and an obnoxiously bright sun met his gaze. The air was hot, but there was the Mediterranean Sea to lend a nice refreshing spray. It looked more like a vacation than basic training.

"ATTENTION! OFFICER ON DECK!" yelled all the kids in black at their lines.

The recruits still remembered their basic commands from the academy and all snapped to attention stance. Numbuh 1013 walked up to a podium in front of the lines. He started to address the recruits.

"Welcome, recruits, to Sector G. For the next 9 weeks, you will all call Sector G home. It is here that you will learn how to sail a KNDN ship and make it the most feared thing in the water. You will not have have fun. It will not be easy. But when you all become KND Sailors, you will have set a cornerstone for generations of KND Sailors to follow. You are the Genesis. You will all be remembered as heroes. As we speak, King Sandy's Armada is patrolling the Pacific Ocean. We don't know when they will attack or where but we must be ready when they do. So we can't afford to waste any time. This is a brand new branch of the KND. Any rank you may have held before now is completely null. You are now all equally worthless unless we promote you. The operatives in black at the head of your lines are your Chief Petty Officers. You address them as Chief. I would do as they say because they are all EX-KND Spec. Op. and they _will not_ hesitate to drop you like a class."

"_Are you kidding me!? EX-KND Spec. OP's?! These guys ain't messin' around!" _Numbuh 4 worriedly thought to himself. Numbuh 4 had always bragged about not being afraid of anyone, but these were the kids he had nightmares about. The KND Spec. Op's were the baddest of the bad. The only thing that was known about the KND Spec. OP's was thet they _exist. _That was _it_.

"As for the rest of you," Numbuh 1013 continued, "your new rank is KNDN Recruit. You aren't Sailors yet. _That_ is a title you will have to earn. Get acquainted with the operatives in your line. This is your Division. Your new team. Now hop to it KNDN! "

"AYE AYE, SIR!" roared the recruits.

"ALL RIGHT, LET'S MOVE! GET INSIDE THE TREE HOUSE NOW! DOUBLE TIME!" commanded Numbuh 4's Chief.

Numbuh 4 found himself in a room with a lot of bunk beds and lockers. It looked like the detention room at school. It was cold and dead silent. The only sound that could be heard was the dull humming of the overhead lights. Numbuh 4 did not like it here. It reminded him of a prison. It made him feel hopeless...

"THE WHOLE LOT OF YOU, IN FRONT OF YOUR RACKS, NOW!" screamed the chief.

Numbuh 4's division was about to be briefed...

"Hello, Recruits! I am your Chief Petty Officer. My name is unimportant. You can just call me Chief. Welcome to Division 626. This is your barracks. This is where your days at basic training will begin and end. But as for now you may break rank and get to know one another. At ease, recruits. The hard stuff starts tomorrow..."

"Jeez! I thought we'd neva get a second to ourselves." Numbuh 4 heaved.

"Hey, Numbuh 4! What's goin' on?"

Numbuh 4 turned around and saw some kid walking up to him.

"Have we met before?" asked Numbuh 4.

"Duh we have. Lucky? From the shuttle here?" the kid identified.

Numbuh 4 had been so uninterested in the conversation on the shuttle he realized he never actually looked at the kid. Lucky was a short kid just like Numbuh 4. He had short, brown hair and was athletically skinny. In a lot of ways, Lucky reminded Numbuh 4 of himself. All except for his attitude. Lucky was in boot camp but yet his demeanor and mood could not have been more cheerful. He seemed to glow with positivity. This trait would continue to confuse Numbuh 4 all through basic training.

"Oh, yeah. Haha, sorry about that. I just sorta spaced for a bit, there." Numbuh 4 apologized.

"So what Sector were you from, Numbuh 4?" inquired Lucky.

"Uh, V. I'm from Sector V." answered Numbuh 4.

"V! LIKE _THE _V!? LIKE THE V WHO FOUGHT KING SANDY!?" yelled Lucky in shock.

It was like a bomb went off. Every kid's head snapped to Lucky and Numbuh 4. They all seemed to instantly appear all around the two of them. They all fired off tons of questions.

_DUDE! WHAT'S SANDY LIKE?_

_IS HE TOUGH?_

_HOW BIG IS HE? COULD I TAKE HIM?_

_HOW DID HE GET ALL THOSE SHIPS?_

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Just one at a time! Give the kid some room to breathe!" pleaded Lucky.

"Tell us about your run in with Sandy!" begged one anonymous voice from the crowd.

"Ok, ok! Will you all stop bugging me if I do?" said Numbuh 4. "Ok, it's like this: the kid likes to pretend he's some kinda king at the beach. Him an' his dumb cousins pretend the beach is his kingdom or somethin'. He gets real mad if you tell him it's not real, though. Anyway, he kidnapped a member of my team and I had to save her. He was gonna force her to marry him and I was not about to let that happen!" Numbuh 4 realized what came out of his mouth too late. He knew what was coming.

"_OH! Sounds like you must really like this girl for him to get you all worked up like that! HAHA! Is she cute? Huh, Numbuh 4? Is she your EEEEEEEEVERYTHIIIIIIIIING? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!_

Numbuh 4 turned bright red. He started looking at the floor.

"No, no, no! It's not like that at all! She, uh, owed me a quarter!" Numbuh 4 explained to the crowd.

"_Yeah, sure! That's it! A quarter! Whatever helps you sleep at night, bud! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"_

"Alright, give it rest, guys. Stop messin' with him." Lucky said defending Numbuh 4.

The day soon turned to night. All the recruits were in their racks fast asleep, completely unaware what the next day held for them. All were asleep, save Numbuh 4. He lied in his rack, wide awake, and listened to the sea outside his window. He had a perfect view of it. He watched the waves tumble onto the sand. He saw the enormous cliff sides rise far above the waterline. He heard the wind sing through the trees. But what really caught his attention were the brilliant stars. He saw them dot the sky and flicker as if saying hello to the earth. But there was one star in particular that really caught his eye. It shined brighter than any other and seemed like it was permanently set in the sky.

"_That star...it's...beautiful..." _thought Numbuh 4. He was completely taken by this star. He did not know why, but for some strange reason, this star made him feel calm. Then, for a split second, the star flashed a very intense light. Numbuh 4's heart skipped a beat. His eyes widened and he started breathing heavy. His stomach had butterflies. He started blushing, badly. "_What...what was that?" _Numbuh 4 thought.

Back on Moonbase, Sector V was waiting for Numbuh Two to finish talking with Supreme Leader Numbuh 362. He was called in by her for something very important. In the mean time, the rest of the team were roaming about the base, passing the time any way they could find.

"Where'd she go?" Numbuh 5 said to herself.

She was mind numbingly bored and thought she would find Numbuh 3 to hang out with until they left. After walking around the base for awhile, she eventually came to the observation dome. There was Numbuh 3, just staring out at space.

"Girl, why are you up here all by yourself?" Numbuh 5 asked her. "What's so cool up here, anyway?"

"Oh, hi Numbuh 5. I was just..." Numbuh 3 started to blush. "...just wishing upon a star."


	3. Surprises

**Really pleased with this one. I thought the last chapter kinda sucked but i think this'll make up for it. Enjoy! R&R Oh, and I don't own KND, just the story.**

* * *

Numbuh 2 nervously walked through Supreme Leader Numbuh 362's office door. He was sweating bullets. He had absolutely no idea why she wanted to see him. Out of the thousands of Kids Next Door Operatives, _he _was requested to appear before Numbuh 362. His mind raced with potential reasons.

_Was it the teen-ifying chilidog thing? Oh, man, I hope she didn't find out about me scrapping my sector's entire fleet of aircraft just to prove a point to that kid. _He gathered his thoughts as best as he could, snapped to attention, and threw up a salute.

"KND Operative Numbuh 2, Sector V, reporting as requested, Ma'am!"

"Ah! Numbuh 2! I'm really glad to see you!" Numbuh 362 answered his formal greeting.

"Thank you, Ma'am!" responded Numbuh 2 still saluting.

"Why don't you come in and have a seat Numbuh 2" Numbuh 362 asked sweetly.

"Because the Supreme Leader has not ordered me to do so. She has yet to grant me permission to follow through with the action in question, Ma'am!" Numbuh 2 was citing everything from the book. He did not know if this was some kind of test so he was not about to assume he could act casually around her.

"OH! I'm sorry, Numbuh 2. At, ease. Do as you will." Numbuh 362 replied.

"Thank you, Ma'am!" Numbuh 2 said somewhat relieved.

Numbuh 2 took a seat in front of Numbuh 362's desk. She got up from her seat and started to pace around him.

"You're probably wondering why I wanted you here in private, Numbuh 2." said Numbuh 362.

"Yes Ma'am" he answered.

"Well, as you are well aware we're in a bit of a pinch." Numbuh 362 started. "We've had to form an entire _branch _of the KND in under 24 hours. But, I say we've done an outstanding job. Aside from having a fleet of ships, which are currently being built, we have a near fully functioning Navy."

"I'm sure it will pulverize King Sandy's Armada, Ma'am" Numbuh 2 acknowledged.

"I said _near_ fully functioning." she retorted.

"I apologize, Ma'am." he backpedaled.

"Nothing to apologize for, Numbuh 2. The reason I say near fully functioning is because my new Navy is missing something." she expalined. "You see, Numbuh 2, I don't know what exactly King Sandy's Armada has to throw at us exactly, but I'm not going to take any chances on it. I want his Armada completely destroyed for this attack against us."

"So where do I fit into all this, Ma'am?" inquired Numbuh 2, anxiously.

"I'm getting to that. As it stands now, if our fleet were completely built, it would be a knock-down, drag-out fight in the ocean between our battleships and King Sandy's. So I want to make a certain type of ship that will tip the scales in our favor." Numbuh 362 proposed.

"And what type of ship would that be, Ma'am?" asked Numbuh 2.

"An Aircraft Carrier." answered Numbuh 362.

Numbuh 2's eyes lit up and his head quickly snapped to Numbuh 362 who was now behind him.

"But there's a problem." she started again. "It would be unwieldy to take KND Sailors out of basic training and teach them how to fly the way things are now. So we need an entirely new squadron of pilots who aren't already in the Navy."

"I'm sure finding volunteers won't be that hard, Ma'am." Numbuh 2 excitedly answered.

"I'm sure it won't either that's not the problem." Numbuh 362 said in an almost disappointed tone. "Once we have the volunteers, there's no one to lead them and refine their skills. Well, at least there wasn't before you walked in."

"Ma'am?" said Numbuh 2. He wasn't sure what she meant by her statement.

"Numbuh 2, I am requesting you to join the KND Navy, not as a sailor, but as a pilot. Not just any pilot, but the teacher and leader of the first and, of now, only squadron. You will be commanding officer of all KND Navy Pilots from here on out, if you choose to accept this mission." Numbuh 362 offered.

Numbuh 2 could not believe what he just heard. He thought maybe he was dreaming. He eagerly leaped to his feet and and stared at Numbuh 362 for a full ten seconds.

"Numbuh 2? Are you alright?" said Numbuh 362, nervously.

Then all of the sudden, Numbuh 2 snapped out of his trance and started jumping in the air doing arm pumps. "YES, I'M ALRIGHT! I'VE NEVER BEEN MORE ALRIGHT IN MY ENTIRE LIFE! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO! I'M GONNA BE COMMANDING PILOT! I'M GONNA HAVE MY OWN SQUAD! YES!"

Numbuh 2 caught a fleeting glimpse at Numbuh 362's facial expression in between one of his "woohoo's." It was completely blank except for her jaw which was glued to the floor. Numbuh 2 had a moment of clarity which he promptly utilized. He snapped to attention and threw up a salute once again.

"KND Operative Numbuh 2 gladly accepts the duty requested of him, Ma'am. On one condition, however." said Numbuh 2.

"Oh? And what condition might that be?" she asked.

"Permission to speak freely, Ma'am." he requested.

"Granted, Numbuh 2. Speak freely."

"Ma'am, my condition is that I name my squadron in honor of the girl who gave me the privilege of leading it." said Numbuh 2.

Numbuh 362 smiled and blushed. She looked up and her heart started beating fast.

"Oh, wow! An entire squadron named after me?! Awww that's so sweet!" Numbuh 362 swooned. She quickly realized that she was being too girly for her liking and immediately snapped back to her strict professionalism. "Uh, I mean, ah-hem, I..I guess that wouldn't be a problem. After all, the squadron _does_ need a name. If that is what you wish to call it, so be it."

"KND Navy Commanding Pilot Numbuh 2, Rachel Squadron, ready to receive orders, Ma'am!" Numbuh 2 exclaimed.

Numbuh 362 blushed again. "Wow, I really like the sound of that. Rachel Squadron..." she sighed. "Uh I mean, Uh... Go to the shuttle docks. There you will find a group of 40 volunteers. Fly them out to Sector I, see what they can do in the air, and refine their skills. Once the Carrier is built, you and your squadron will be stationed on it, ready to go into combat at a moment's notice. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, Ma'am" replied Numbuh 2.

"Numbuh 2, you are dismissed. You are free to carry out your orders, now" Numbuh 362 told him.

* * *

A month and a half had passed since Numbuh 4 found himself in Sector G. The days at basic training were long and the nights were sleepless. He missed his friends terribly. He had passed every test given to him with incredible ease and was even promised the rank of Petty Officer upon graduation, which meant he would outrank everyone else fresh out of basic training. He was the top of his class. But, yet, no matter how much he would accomplish, he never felt a sense of completion. Something was _missing_. No matter how hard he tried, he just was not himself.

Numbuh 4 was standing watch in the Sector G treehouse. It was nothing special, no remarkable night. He had stood watch a hundred times before and each time was more boring than the last. The only saving grace of it all was Lucky. They always had watch duty together for some reason. They could not talk to each other on watch, however, but would find offhand ways to entertain themselves. They would make faces at the Officers passing by after saluting them and just as soon as their backs faced them. Lucky's eyes would constantly be glued to the female recruits walking past and he would watch them until they turned a corner and removed themselves from his sight. He would then turn to Numbuh 4, give an approving nod accompanied with a thumbs up. Numbuh 4 would laugh to himself quietly and shake his head. Then, the last person they expected turned the corner and started to approach them. It was none other than Numbuh 1013. He walked up to them, leaned up against the wall, and neatly folded his arms.

The two immediately jumped to attention saluted. "Good evening, Sir!" Lucky and Numbuh 4 greeted.

Numbuh 1013 never came on the base. He was always at moonbase, constantly reporting to Numbuh 362 on the progress of the Navy. The fact that he was here was almost terrifying to Numbuh 4 and Lucky. Even more offsetting to the two of them was the way he looked. He was in his Officer uniform, arms folded, leaning against the wall with a very confused look on his face. He did not return their greeting. Instead they were greeted only with silence. He kept staring off into space.

"KNDN Recruit, Numbuh 777 has nothing notable to report on his evening watch, Sir!"

"KNDN Recruit Numbuh 4 also has nothing notable to report on his evening watch, Sir!"

Numbuh 1013 walked forward a bit, turned and faced them. He looked at Lucky, then at Numbuh 4, and then the floor.

"Is there something we can do for you this evening, Sir?" offered Numbuh 4.

"Ya know, you just might be able to help me, Numbuh 4." At last the silence was broken. However, the look on his face did not falter. He still looked as bewildered as ever. He continued, "Ya I think you just might be able to, or maybe, on second thought, you may not. You see, boys, I have this question of a somewhat philosophical nature that I can't seem to answer on my own."

"I will answer the best I can, Sir." said Numbuh 4.

"Well, I sat in my office today, just doing paperwork and whatnot, and my mind began to wonder. It was then that my mind conjured this seemingly unanswerable question." Numbuh 1013 looked straight into Numbuh 4's eyes. "What color does a rainbow monkey turn if you choke it?

Numbuh 4 and Lucky broke down and started laughing. They completely lost it in front of the Chief Commanding Officer of the entire KND Navy, but they could not help it. The question was just too funny.

"No, seriously, you guys, I have been trying to answer it all day! I even asked Numbuh 86 on moonbase but she called me a 'stupid nitwit boy' and stormed off. I just can't answer it! It's been eating at me all day!" pleaded Numbuh 1013.

Numbuh 4 took a few big deep breaths and collected himself. "Well, sir, you see the thing about rainbow monkeys is that they don't have a regular circulatory system like other animals. They are filled with love, joy, sunshine, and giggles. Them turning blue when choked, or any other color for that matter, would imply the existence of a circulatory system with blood. Rainbow monkeys have no such system, Sir."

Both Lucky and Numbuh 1013 donned a look that was half confusion and half horror. They stared at him like he had just told him he had planted a bomb in their shorts. Numbuh 4 saw this look and realized what they were thinking immediately.

"NO, NO, NO, NO! I aint into cruddy rainbow monkeys! I just have this girl back in my sector who's crazy about 'em and she never stops talking about it all!" Numbuh 4 hoped desperately they would believe the truth.

"OH! You scared me there for a second, Recruit. I was gonna say, dude, you aint right." Numbuh 1013 said.

"You about gave me a heart attack, man." Lucky added.

"So which one of you guys saw it?" asked Numbuh 1013.

"Saw what, sir?" Lucky inquired.

"The North Star." Numbuh 1013 clarified.

Numbuh 4 was suddenly shocked. His mind started going a mile a minute. _How could Numbuh 1013 have known about that? Did everybody see the flash? Did it mess with him too? _

"Of course I've seen it." Lucky explained "It's only the brightest star in the sky."

"Well, duh! I meant did you _see_ it?" Numbuh 1013 elaborated.

"I don't know what you mean, Sir." Lucky resigned.

"Well," Numbuh 1013 began, "everybody knows that the North Star is the brightest in the sky, but it holds a special meaning for Sailors. It was used to guide Sailors through whatever body of water they were traveling through. But it also gave a special few of them a _certain _kind of hope."

Numbuh 4 barely let him finish his sentence. "What kind of hope would that be, Sir?"

"Well, it probably won't matter to you, because you probably didn't see it." Numbuh 1013 said disappointed.

"No, please tell me! I want to know, Sir!" Numbuh 4 begged.

"If you really want to hear it, I guess." Numbuh 1013 began again. "It's been said that if the Sailor had a significant other, weather he knew he had one or not, she would wish upon the star. She would wish for her Sailor to return to her as fast as the winds would carry his ship. If the Sailor would be staring at this star when the wish was made, it would flash a very bright light, but only for a split second and only to him. He would be filled with this feeling of, I don't know, invincibility I guess you could call it. This would cause him to perform his duties twice as fast and fight doubly hard, so that he might return to her faster if the job at hand was finished quicker."

Numbuh 4 was floored. _Who? Who would wish that to me? Could it be...no...it couldn't have been. Could it? There's no way...I'm imagining things...but...what if I'm not?_

"What's the matter with you, boy?" Numbuh 1013 asked him.

"Oh...uh...nothing I-I guess..." Numbuh 4 was still shaken by what he heard. His heart was thumping in his chest.

"Uh-huh, sure. Why did you join, recruit?" asked Numbuh 1013.

Numbuh 4 was filled with silent rage immediately. "'Cuz I hate that bratty King Sandy! He kidnapped a member of my team and tried to force her to marry him. I saved her, but I'm not gonna forgive him for what he did. I'll fight through each of his cruddy knights by myself if I have to, just to git me 'ands on 'im!"

"It was that girl who likes the rainbow monkeys wasn't it?" asked Numbuh 1013.

"Yeah, it was the same one" Numbuh 4 confirmed.

"So you did see it then." Numbuh 1013 said softly.

"I-I..." Numbuh 4 was bright red. He didn't know what to say.

"Well, it's about that time recruits. Have fun at graduation tomorrow." and with that Numbuh 1013 turned and left.

"Did he just say graduation was tomorrow!?" Lucky excitedly asked Numbuh 4.

"Yeah, he did, didn't he!?" Numbuh 4 exclaimed.

"I guess that expalins why he was here!" Lucky concluded.

Lucky and Numbuh 4 were relieved of duty shortly thereafter. They could not stop talking about graduation the whole way back to their racks. They would not sleep at all that night. They wanted to see the sunrise, because with it brought their new title: Kids Next Door Sailor.


	4. Give Me Liberty

**Wow, this was a fun chapter to write! I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had writing it! I don't own KND. If I did, I'd live in a replica of their treehouse!**

* * *

At last the sun rose. Numbuh 4 had watched out for it, through his window, near his rack, all night, anxiously waiting for its arrival. It was beautiful. The bright pinkish orange light slowly spread over the ocean like a blanket. Slowly it crept up the beach and the cliff sides until it graced his room with its presence. It splashed Numbuh 4's face with warmth. A sense of serenity overcame him and he felt, for the first time since he left his beloved Sector V, at peace. Today was different. Numbuh 4 knew it was, but not because of graduation, it was just something he could not pinpoint. He dismissed it as being nothing more than a random feeling. He laid there, in his rack, until he heard the KND Navy's own brand of rooster:

"REVELY, REVELY, REVELY! RISE AND SHINE AND ON THE LINE!"

That was it. That was exactly what he wanted to hear. Usually that phrase fell on unwilling ears, but today, it was like a choir of cherubs. Numbuh 4 leaped out of his rack in one swift flash. He planted both feet on the toe-line squarely and went into a stiff, flawless attention stance. The rest of Division 626, save Lucky, was not as quick to do so. They knew what today was. They were ready.

"Good morning my little darling Recruits!" their Chief said sarcastically sweet.

"Good morning to you, Chief" Division 626 echoed.

"Today, I have a surprise for you all. I want everyone in Dress Whites. I'll give you ten minutes to do so and get back on the line." their Chief instructed.

Numbuh 4 hated getting dressed up for anything, but he actually liked his Dress Whites. They were subtle enough for his liking, but could easily be accepted at a wedding, funeral, or any other formal occasion for that matter. They looked like the standard U.S. Navy's Dress Whites, except with a few modifications. The sleeves only went as far as to cover the elbow. The bottoms were shorts that covered half of the knees. It still had the Navy blue neckerchief and the hat. The shoes were an off-white pair of high top, canvas basketball shoes, cliche to every kid who ever existed. But Numbuh 4's Dress Whites were different from his fellow recruits. He was the top of his class and was granted the rank of Petty Officer, for which he received his Crow and Chevron. The Crow had its wings spread and the Chevron was right below it, all on his left shoulder. It signified that he out ranked his fellow recruits and was the best of the bunch. Today was the first time he got to wear them on his Dress Whites.

He got dressed slower than usual, almost as if he was putting on his uniform for the last time. At last, he tied the neckerchief in a perfect square knot and was completely dressed. He stepped to the line and awaited his orders.

"Out. Straight to the yard and form ranks." ordered their Chief.

* * *

The entirety of the KND Navy filed out of the Sector G treehouse. They were greeted with the sun shining, birds chirping and a special surprise: teammates from their Sectors. Every Recruit's face had a look of shocked happiness. The Recruits formed ranks in front of hundreds of their comrades. Their teammates cheered them on as they all got organized. Out in front walked Numbuh 1013 to give yet another speech. The crowd was then hushed.

"Today...is a historic day...for the entire Kids Next Door. Today, we see the completion of a merciless training regiment. These brave boys and girls have been yelled at and chewed out. They've been bloody and bruised. They've been tired and depleted. They stuck with it and stepped up to the monumental task of forming an entire branch of the KND in under two months. Today, they are no longer recruits, but Kids Next Door Sailors... I'm not gonna waste any more time on this speech. Headquarters told me this was supposed to be, like, 15 minutes long, but forget that noise. I'm just gonna give 'em what they've wanted since they got here! KND SAILORS! LIBERTY CALL!"

And with that came a roaring cheer that could be heard miles away. The newly anointed KND Sailors broke rank and rushed to their eagerly awaiting teammates. Numbuh 4 was no exception. He bolted into the herd of spectators, desperately wanting to find his Sector that he missed so badly. Then all of the sudden he heard a shrill cry from behind him that he knew could only belong to one person, and one person only...

"NUMBUH 4!!!"

He had missed that voice so much, he could hardly hold back his tears. His eyes filled immediately with water, but he could not manage to cry. His pride simply would not permit him. Numbuh 4 spun on his heels and faced behind him. _There she was._ Numbuh 3 was already in a full speed dash towards him, leaving the rest of Sector V far, far behind her. As soon as her eyes fixed on him, however she started to slow down and eventually stopped right in front of Numbuh 4. She raised her hands over mouth so her sleeves covered her whole face except for her eyes. She was blushing the hardest she had ever had before. She could not believe this was the same Numbuh 4 that had left over a month ago.

"H-hey Kuki" managed Numbuh 4. He was so nervous he was shaking. He had to fold his arms so she would not notice.

"W-Wally? Is...is that really..._you_?" She did not know how to feel at the moment. She could not believe what she was seeing. She had never seen him in any kind of uniform before, and he was now a head taller than her. His shoulders were more broad. She could tell through his uniform that his arms and upper body were completely toned. _He looks so...so...amazing. _She thought to herself.

"Course it's me. Who else would it be?" he replied.

"I don't know..."she replied.

"Did, uh...did ya miss me? Haha..." he awkwardly choked out.

"I don't know..." she replied again. Of course she missed him. She missed him more than anyone in Sector V. That was just what came out because at that moment she was in a love-struck stupor. She was too busy ogling him to care what he had to say.

"You don't know if you missed me?" Numbuh 4's heart almost shattered.

"No!" Seeing his heart break through his facial expression was enough to snap her back to reality. "Of Course I missed you, silly!"

"Oh! Th-that's good!" was all he could muster seeing as how he thought his heart was going to stop.

The two just stared at each other for a moment after that. The world seemed to freeze. They could only hear their own hearts pounding in their chests. They could see no one else except each other. Numbuh 4 was the first to realize this and his awkwardness came flooding back.

"Yeah...I, uh, I'm surprised I didn't get one of those famous Kuki Sanban Death Hugs. Hahaha." he tried to play it off cool but failed miserably. Numbuh 3 was too lost in her own world to notice.

"Oh, yeah! Sorry about that! Here I come!" she said as she leaped in his arms. Her hold started out strong but diminished almost immediately. She just melted into his arms. It was all so different to her but yet so, so familiar.

_Wow...she's never hugged me like this before. I hope she can start hugging me like this all the time. _Numbuh 4 thought to himself.

"Ah-hem!" came a voice from behind Numbuh 3.

There stood Numbuh 1 and Numbuh 5 behind him. Numbuh 5 was giggling to herself. Numbuh 1 had an eyebrow raised, arms folded, and foot tapping.

"Numbuh 3, do you think we can borrow Numbuh 4 for a moment?" Numbuh 1 said sarcastically.

"No" she said softly, still in his arms.

_What did she just say!? _Numbuh 4 thought.

"I mean! Oh, gosh! Yeah, sure! I-I was...uh just kidding! Hahahahaha!" Numbuh 3 tried desperately to cover up what she just said. She stepped to the side of Numbuh 4 and stared worriedly at the sky. _Oh my gosh! Did I seriously just say that out loud!? Oh, stupid, stupid, stupid! _She thought.

"Very funny Numbuh 3" Numbuh 1 said dryly. "Numbuh 4, it's good to see you made it through. Excellent job."

"Thanks, Numbuh 1. I'm glad to be outta there. I'm ready to get my 'ands on that Sandy!" Numbuh 4 said angrily.

"I'm sure you are, tough guy." said Numbuh 5 coolly.

"Hey, guys, where's Numbuh 2 at?" asked Numbuh 4.

"Oh, he had some special assignment given to him by 362." answered Numbuh 1. "He's been gone as long as you have, as a matter of fact."

"Wow, for real?" said Numbuh 4.

"Yes, from what I understand it was quite important." elaborated Numbuh 1.

"Well, if it was from her I'm sure there's a good reason for it." resigned Numbuh 4.

"Excuse me, Petty Officer Beatles." came a voice from behind Numbuh 4.

He spun around to find it was Lucky, standing at attention, saluting him.

"What's a matter with you?" said Numbuh 4, bewildered.

"Nothing, Petty Officer, just following standard procedure. Is this not how one greets their superior officer?" replied Lucky in a cold, monotone voice.

"What? OH!" Numbuh 4 suddenly remembered he outranked him and everything made sense. "Dude, unless it's, like, life or death or somethin', you don't have to do that to me. It makes me feel weird."

Lucky slouched out of his salute and heaved a sigh. "Oh, good. That was gonna get old REAL quick. Anyway, I came over here to meet your team. There's been a lot of scuttlebutt about them and I wanted to meet them for myself."

"Oh, sure. This is-" was all he could spit out before Lucky cut him off.

"No. Let me guess. Hmmm." Lucky viewed Numbuh 4's teammates over thoroughly.

"Ok, I got it. You..." he pointed at Numbuh 1, "are the leader. Numbuh 1, I presume?"

"Spot on." confirmed Numbuh 1.

"Awesome. I know that Numbuhs 3 and 5 are female so that's you two." he pointed at 3 and 5. "But which one is which. Hmmmm."

He stared at Numbuh 3 for a moment. "I have a pretty good feeling you're Numbuh 3."

"That's me!" she sang out.

"So, you're Numbuh 5."

"Right on it." Numbuh 5 said.

"So that leaves Numbuh 2. Where did he run off to?" Lucky inquired.

"Special mission. He's not with us at the moment." informed Numbuh 1. "And you are?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself." Lucky went to attention and snapped a salute. "KND Navy Sailor Numbuh 777."

Just as Lucky was about to continue his introduction, an announcement came over the loud speakers of the Sector G tree house.

"_ATTENTION! All KND Sailors are to report back to Sector G in 2 days to be shipped out! That is all!"_

"Well we better be on our way now, Numbuh 4." instructed Numbuh 1.

"Right. Well, see ya in a couple, Lucky!" said Numbuh 4

"Yeah, see ya! Maybe I'll talk to you guys another time!" he replied.

* * *

And with that, Sector V turned and headed toward their S.C.A.M.P.E.R.

"I never knew I could miss a couch this much." Numbuh 4 heaved as his body sank into the cushions of the torn and tattered couch of the treehouse living room. By the time Sector V returned to their treehouse, it was already pitch black outside. One whole day had been wasted out of Numbuh 4's precious Liberty Call. Slowly, the comfort and familiarity of the couch got to him. He began to fall asleep.

No more than 10 minutes into his nap, Numbuh 4 was woken up by the swishing of his hair and the word "Yoink!"

"Huh?" he said as he sat up. He checked his head and found that his uniform's hat had gone missing. "Hey! My cover! Where'd it-" just as he was about to finish his sentence, he spun around and saw Numbuh 3 waving his hat in the air mischievously.

"It's my sailor hat now!" Numbuh 3 said as she put it on. She tilted it slightly to the side and winked at him.

"Hey, c'mon Numbuh 3 that's my cover. I need that for my uniform." Numbuh 4 pleaded.

"If you want it back," Numbuh 3 said, "then you gotta catch me first!"

"Don't make me run after-" before he could even finish she bolted away. "Hey! Come back 'ere!"

Numbuh 3 giggled as Numbuh 4 chased her through the treehouse. He wasn't catching her on purpose. Although he would not admit it to anyone, he actually liked it when she did things like this. It always ended with him catching her and the both of them wrestling on the floor for whatever item she took. He would always make sure she was just out of reach and then sprint and tackle her.

"All right, I'm gonna get it now!" he declared as he sped up. He planted his right foot and lunged out at her. Just as he was in the air, she sharply turned a corner into another part of the tree house. He hit the floor with a hard thud and rolled a coupe times.

"Ah...that's gonna leave a mark." he said getting to his feet. He then went and turned the same corner she did. It was the deck and there she was, just staring into the night sky. The breeze was making her long, wavy, jet black hair flutter in the breeze. She had her hands behind her back and was leaning slightly to the side. It was a clear, moonless night. Only the stars provided enough light for him to make out her silhouette. Even then, she still looked stunning to him. He took a big gulp and slowly walked towards her.

"I like to look at the stars too. I'd look at 'em every night when I went to bed at basic training." he told her. "Pretty, ain't they?

"Yeah..." she said quietly. "Wally?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember...when you asked me if I missed you?" she asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

"Well...did you miss _me_ at all?"

Numbuh 4 looked like someone threw a bucket of red paint on his face. He started shaking. Quickly he thought of a good save.

"Yeah, I-I missed you guys a lot and-"

"That's not what I asked!" she cried. "I asked if you missed _me_!"

She looked up him with tears in her eyes. Numbuh 4 looked deep into them. He saw something there that he had never seen before. He did not know what it was, but it made him lose himself in her gaze. _She's so perfect. She's so beautiful. Why do I always have to mess this up! I'm not doing this anymore! _He thought. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and said what he did not think he was ever going to tell her.

"Kuki, I thought about you every day and every night I was gone and even before that. I missed your laugh, I missed your smile, I even missed you making me have rainbow monkey tea parties with you! I would look out my window every night and look at the stars and wish that at that exact same moment, you would be looking at the same stars. The thought of you doing that made me feel like we were connected, if only for an instant. Kuki, I-"

"Stop talking, Wally." she said cutting him off. She leaned forward into him, clung to his uniform, and stood on her toes. Ever so slowly, their lips came closer..._and closer..._until-

**"NUMBUH 4!!!"**

"AHHHHHHH!" screamed both Numbuh 3 and 4. They were both startled by the sudden intrusion. They separated immediately.

It was Numbuh 1. He was sweating profusely and breathing hard.

"What? What's, wrong?" asked Numbuh 4.

"I...I just received an urgent transmission...from Numbuh 362." he barely managed to speak. "All KND Sailors are to return to Sector G immediately."

"What!? Why!?" Numbuh 4 asked.

"It's...it's Sector A..." he said grimly.

"What about it?" Numbuh 4 said with a defensiveness in his voice.

"It's been attacked by King Sandy's Armada..."

"NO!" screamed Numbuh 4 as he ran into the treehouse.

"Where's Sector A again, Numbuh 1?" Numbuh 3 innocently inquired.

"Australia..."

* * *

**For the sake of this story Sector A is in Australia and not the Amish kids. (Amish kids, really? :P) Sorry if I offended any Amish people, but, HEY! What are you doing on a computer in the first place! Yeah! Think about that! Also I goofed on Sector G as well, but try not to let it shatter the illusion lol! And a high five and a scratch-n-sniff sticker to the person who can figure out the significance of Numbuh 1013's numbuh! I'll update soon! Until then, take 'er easy! **

**~~0-l-)**


	5. The Battle of Sector A

**Sorry it took awhile to update. I've been real busy lately, but I finally found time to write this. Kinda challenging to write, but I'm pleased with it. R&R I don't own KND. If I did, my stories would be episodes! XD**

* * *

"I guess it all has to start sometime." Lucky said solemnly.

Numbuh 4 and Lucky were hanging over the rails of their ship, which, with the rest of their fleet, had just arrived at the Australian coastline. From the deck of the ship, they could barely see the contingent of King Sandy's Armada that conquered Sector A. It had been three days since Sector A fell to the 8 year old tyrant. The Armada dug their sea-shell clad heels in the sand of Australia's beaches and dared the Kids Next Door to come after them. So the KND were happy to oblige.

Numbuh 4's ship, the KNDS _Fanny_, was leading the fleet and rapidly approaching the enemy ships. Lucky had inquired about the ship's name earlier in Sector I. He asked his captain, "Why Fanny?" His captain explained, "This ship has a lot experimental weapons on it. Each one of 'em's nastier than the last. This ship is the pride of every Destroyer in the KNDN." Lucky asked again, "Yeah, but why _Fanny_, Captain?" His Captain gave a little laugh, looked at him, and said, "'Cuz she's the meanest ship we got."

Numbuh 4's hair covered his red eyes. He had been in an angry mood the whole way down to Sector A, but now, he was blind with fury. Just the far off sight of the enemy ships was enough to fill his stomach to the brim with hate. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. His breathing was heavy. He could not wait to sink each and every one of them.

"'Bout time." replied Numbuh 4.

"You, ready for this?" asked Lucky in a very shaky tone.

"I was ready for this the day I stepped into the Grand Hall." Numbuh 4 said grimly.

_20 seconds until open fire! _The Captain's voice said through a loud speaker.

Numbuh 4 pulled the bolt back on his gumball Gatling gun. It responded with a satisfying "_chick-chick!"_

The Armada's ships came in to clear focus now.

"Are you kidding me? They're usin' junky antiques! This is gonna last all of ten seconds!" Lucky said somewhat relieved. The ships he saw looked like they belonged in a museum. They even had sails on them. They were slathered in sea weed, shells, and barnacles.

_10 seconds!_

"Dude, I think I'm gonna hurl!" Lucky shouted to Numbuh 4, his newly found courage having quickly deserted him.

"Grow a spine, you flippin' girl!" scolded Numbuh 4.

"Aye-Aye, Petty Officer!" screamed Lucky in a high pitched voice.

_FIRE!_

Numbuh 4 screamed and pulled the trigger on his gumball Gatling gun. A blur of every color of the rainbow flew out of the weapon accompanied with air and ear splitting hisses. Numbuh 4 watched as the gumballs slowly ate away at the sides of the enemy ships. Then, everything seemed to go mute compared to the roar of a missile flying over his head. He watched open mouthed as this huge missile went flying toward the enemy ships. It found an enemy ship and exploded right before it hit the deck. The enemy ship was immediately covered in brown goop.

"Is that what I think it is!?" asked Numbuh 4 in a yell.

"No! I heard that some nerds in the 2X4 department were coming up with some kinda missile that would explode and make the ship and its crew completely immobile! There was a fight about what was gonna be used: ABC Gum or Peanut Butter! I guess we know what they decided!" answered Lucky.

Just as Lucky was through with his explanation, the enemy ships returned the favor. Since Numbuh 4 was deafened by his own gunfire, all he saw were the flashes from the hulls of the enemy ships. Then, a thousand black dots came zooming toward their ship. The dots ripped up some of the guns and other equipment on the deck. The ones that hit the hull dented it badly.

"Were those cannonballs!? They have freaking cannons!? Were did they get freakin' cannons!?" Lucky was rambling in terror.

"I dunno! Just shut up and shoot back!" ordered Numbuh 4.

The crew of the KNDS _Fanny _gave everything they had to the enemy ships. Gumballs, Peanut Butter Missiles, S.C.A.M.P.P. fire, every weapon fired at once. They managed to immobilize a third of the enemy ships and damage the rest, but at terrible cost. The ship was now a sitting duck, completely out of ammo, completely _defenseless_.

"What now?" asked Lucky, horrified.

As if it heard him say it, a very large enemy ship came about. On it was a huge cannon that fired out what seemed like a river of viscous yellow slop that soared in an arch like a rainbow toward their ship.

"What the-" was all Numbuh 4 could get off before it hit.

The entire ship was covered in hot nacho cheese.

_ABANDON SHIP! SHE CAN'T MOVE! THE CHEESE FOUND ITS WAY INTO THE ENGINES AND GUNKED 'EM UP! ALL HANDS ABANDON SHIP! _

"You don't have to tell me twice!" yelped Lucky. He started to run towards the nearest life boat.

"Oh, no you don't!" Numbuh 4 yelled as he grabbed the back of Lucky's uniform. "We're takin' care of this ourselves!"

"_WE!?" _Lucky inquired in a cowardly tone.

Numbuh 4 ran and dragged Lucky behind him. He went below deck into the bowels of the ship. It took a while given that Lucky grabbed onto anything he could to stop him, but Numbuh 4 soon came upon what he was looking for.

"Hel-lo, beautiful!" said Numbuh 4.

Lucky must have blown a "panic fuse" because when he saw what Numbuh 4 was looking for, he became very calm. "No. No, I refuse. I'm not doin' it. Nope. Nuh-uh. No way. Ain't happenin'."

"Quit ya whinin' and git on board." said Numbuh 4. He had led Lucky to a part of the ship that looked like a swimming pool. In this pool sat a boat that looked like a fan boat, but, instead of a fan, had a jet engine attached. Towards the front was a gumball Gatling gun.

"But...But...I don't wanna..." Lucky whined. He sincerely did not want to get on board the watercraft but he did not have much of a choice. He knew deep down inside that, as a KND operative and as one of the first KND Sailors, it was his duty to do everything in his power to contribute to this battle. He reluctantly stepped on board the craft.

"Wait 'ere a sec', I gotta go to the armory real quick." instructed Numbuh 4.

"Aye-aye..." Lucky heaved.

Numbuh 4 ran down a corridor and came to a door labeled "Armory." He went inside and started rummaging through the weapons.

"Ah-HAH!" he proclaimed. He picked up several satchels with the letters "A-B-C" on them. He also picked up a small device that looked like a remote for an RC car. He bolted out of the room and back towards Lucky and the watercraft.

"I'm back. Here, take these." Numbuh 4 threw the satchels to Lucky.

"WHAT! NO! YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS! I THOUGHT WE WERE USING THIS THING TO GET TO ANOTHER SHIP!" Lucky screamed.

"I'm dead serious, dude." he replied.

"You can't be."

"I am"

"No."

"Yes."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yeah-huh"

"You can't"

"I can"

Lucky closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger.

"Ok...let me get this straight. You wanna take this watercraft, fight your way close to the enemy ships, cut the hulls open somehow, and throw an Already Been Chewed satchel charge in 'em?"

"Absolutely." answered Numbuh 4.

Lucky heaved a sigh. "I just had to talk to you on that shuttle...ok then, let's get this over with."

"That's the spirit, mate!" Numbuh 4 said as he took his place at the driver's seat. "Now get on that triple 'G' and don't stop firing."

"Don't worry about that! Hahahah." Lucky laughed nervously.

Numbuh 4 pressed a red button by the steering wheel of the craft, turning the jet engine of the craft on.

He pressed another button with a down arrow on it, lowering the entire back wall of the room. The back wall was actually the rear end of the ship, and lowering it allowed the craft to exit and sail on its own. However, the door/wall was gunked up with hot nacho cheese, and it only lowered to a 45 degree angle.

"Great! Now how do you suppose we fix_ that!" _Lucky complained.

"No time." said Numbuh 4.

"Wha?-AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Lucky screamed as Numbuh 4 pushed the throttle to full. The craft sped out of the ship and ramped up the door. The watercraft was sent flying through the air.

"WWWOOOOOOOOOOAAHHHH!" they shouted as the jet powered assault craft flew through the air.

The craft eventually smacked down on the water. Numbuh 4 did a quick U-turn and headed for the enemy ships. The craft gently bobbed up and down with the choppiness of the ocean. Lucky began firing indiscriminately at the enemy ships. Cannonballs and whatever was being fired from the KNDN ships were whizzing by their heads. They could not have picked a worse spot to be in. They eventually made their way to the first enemy ship. It was one hit by a Peanut Butter Missile, so it was practically defenseless.

"Blow a hole in it with the triple G!" ordered Numbuh 4.

Lucky fired at the the hull of the enemy ship until a hole formed. He then lobbed an ABC satchel through the newly formed hole. They quickly sped away and Numbuh 4 pressed a button on the remote. The whole ship was filled with ABC gum. It came out any opening the ship had, and piled up on deck. The ship capsized and sunk.

"Yes!" the two shouted in celebration. But there were still more ships to be taken care of.

The two of them fought through the enemy defenses and one by one sank the enemy ships until the nacho cheese firing ship and two others remained. Just as they were speeding toward the nacho ship, their craft stopped dead in the water.

"Why did we stop!? Stopping is bad! Stopping is the opposite of good right now!" Lucky said panicked.

"Uh oh. J-Just gimme a sec'." Numbuh 4 said tearing into the mechanics of the engine.

"I don't think we have a sec'." Lucky replied.

"Whot?" Numbuh 4 said turning around. He froze with fear at what he saw. There he saw Lucky with his hands up in the air. The nacho ship in front of them, the two other ships at their left and right, all guns pointed at them. Numbuh 4 looked back and saw that their fleet's guns were plugged up with nacho cheese. He crossed his arms, closed his eyes and put his head down.

"Well, at least I won't be decommissioned." he said peacefully.

One of King Sandy's knights appeared on the bow of the nacho ship. He called out to Numbuh 4 and Lucky. "If you two wish to beg for your life, you may do so now. Do so quickly, however, we wish to execute the both of you in a timely fashion."

Numbuh 4 spoke back, "I got nuthin' to say to you sea shell wearin' dorks!"

The cannons of all three ships aimed directly at their small watercraft.

"I guess I'm not that lucky after all. It was good to know ya, Numbuh 4." said Lucky tearing up.

"Yeah, you too, mate." said Numbuh 4.

All of the sudden the deck of the nacho ship was slammed with dozens of missiles. The ship went up in a huge, roaring flame. Numbuh 4 quickly looked behind him and saw a 2X4 jet with a dark skinned girl painted on it shriek across the sky over his head. It went directly over the burning ship and shot up at a 90 degree angle, corkscrewing upwards into the clouds.

"Who's that!?" Lucky yelled.

"I dunno, but if he's savin' our sorry butts I don't care!" Numbuh 4 answered back.

From behind the mystery jet came dozens of others. They opened fire and destroyed the two remaining enemy ships. The two boys jumped and cheered as their would be executors sank into the crystal clear, blue water. The jets swarmed over their heads. Then, from the clouds descended the mystery jet that came to their rescue. It was coming toward their watercraft very fast at first, but then slowed way down and leveled out, hovering over the ocean. Numbuh 4 now had a clear view of the girl painted on its side. It was a dark skinned girl wearing a blue swimsuit and a red hat. She had one long, black braid over shoulder. She was posing like a model and giving a wink and a flirty smile. Right under her were the words "Miss Lincoln" in cursive.

"Hey, wait a sec'! I know that girl!" shouted Numbuh 4 in an epiphany.

The cockpit of the jet released and opened. The pilot stood up, placed one foot on the side of the cockpit and rested his hand on his elevated knee.

"Hey guys! Just thought I'd drop in!" said the pilot.

"No way! Hoagie, what are you doing here?" asked Numbuh 4.

"You guys were just saved by Rachel Squadron. I'm a KNDN pilot! Isn't that awesome?" Numbuh 2 explained.

"A KNDN pilot? Wait, how did you get here?" Lucky asked him.

Numbuh 2 put his hand up to his forehead, shielding his eyes from the sun. He looked back at the fleet and said, "That's how."

Numbuh 4 and Lucky looked back at their fleet and there it was. An aircraft carrier was positioned at the rear of the fleet, looming far above the other ships.

"When did we get that!? That woulda been _really _helpful at the beginning of all this!" Lucky said, annoyed by the whole situation.

"Yeah, sorry about the wait. We shipped out a half a day later than you guys did so we were running behind you guys the whole time. We were hoping you guys didn't engage the enemy until we caught up." Numbuh 2 explained.

"Hey look!" shouted Numbuh 4. He pointed over at the Sector A treehouse, far off in the distance. There they saw a yellow and orange flag with a shell on it being lowered until it disappeared from view. Up in its place was a black flag with the letters KND painted sloppily across it. They had done it. Sector A was liberated from King Sandy's Armada...

* * *

"Oh man, root beer never tasted so good!" Numbuh 2 said after taking a couple big gulps of the ice cold beverage.

The three of them had gone ashore to kill time due to the cleaning of the nacho cheese from the ships. They wandered into a soda bar that the rest of the fleet went to and exchanged stories and started to unwind. Numbuh 4 felt especially good knowing he had Numbuh 2 to count on from here on out. He also now knew that, if given a little push, Lucky could be a very good ally in combat, as well. Numbuh 4 just sat back in his chair and breathed a couple sighs of relief, for now he knew his former home was safe.

"So, I saw you guys in the water and you guys were, like, sittin' there, and I thought 'why are they just sittin' there'? But then I saw the cannons pointed at you and I was like, 'I gotta save 'em.' So then I-"

"Attention Officer on Deck!"

All KNDN personnel shot up and stood at attention. Numbuh 2's story would have to wait, because in walked Numbuh 1013. He started one of his speeches again.

"As you were, but listen up! First of all, I'm really pleased with how you dealt with the enemy today. You saved a lot of beaches. I want you all to know that. Second, we have the ships all cleaned off, and they're all operational, however they do need repairs. Sector A doesn't have the required technology to make full repairs. The nearest Sector that does is the JKND. We leave tomorrow."

"Alright! Maybe I can pick up some new video games while I'm there!" exclaimed Numbuh 2.

"I hear they got a giant screen of DDR there! I'm _so_ playin' on it!" Lucky said excitedly.

"Hey, guys." Numbuh 4 said.

"You play DDR?" Numbuh 2 asked kind of confused.

"You, guys." Numbuh 4 said trying harder to get their attention.

"Dude, I dominate DDR. Don't diss on it, it's a sweet game." Lucky defended.

"Guys."

"I wasn't dissing it. You just don't look like the type that plays DDR." Numbuh 2 went on.

"Hey, Guys!" Numbuh 4 yelled.

"What?" they both responded.

"Where's the JKND at?" Numbuh 4 asked.

"Japan, duh." Numbuh 2 clarified.

* * *

"Bye, Guys! I'm leaving to see my Grandma, now!" Numbuh 3 yelled in the Sector V treehouse.

"Later, girl." Numbuh 5 responded.

"Whoa, hold on, Numbuh 3. When did you tell me about this?" Numbuh 1 said slightly agitated.

"Just now, silly!" she responded.

Numbuh 1 slapped his forehead and sighed. "No, I meant when did you forewarn me about this little trip?"

"Oh. Well, I guess I didn't. I forgot. Oopsy!" she said in a care free tone.

"Well, remember to let me know about any future trips you may be planning." he said coldly.

"Okie-Dokie!" she acknowledged.

"Hey, where does your Grandma live, again?" he asked her.

"Japan, silly!" she said giggling.

* * *

**OK! So, I'm sorry if anybody thought the "flippin' girl" remark was sexist, but I feel that's what Numbuh 4 would have said in that situation, though. The whole battle part was really hard to write for some reason. The whole chapter was difficult to write actually, so I'm sorry if it sucks out loud. :( Ohs wells! Until the next update! Take 'er easy!**

**~~0-l-)**


	6. That Crazy Time in Japan

**This took FOR-EV-ER to write! I've been really busy lately, so I'm surprised I got this beast of a chapter fired out. It's gonna have to tide you over for a while, 'cuz I'm gonna be even _busier _than before! All that aside, I think you'll enjoy this one. If you don't, you suck because I put a lot of time and energy into this and it took FOR-EV-ER! (Ok, I'll quit the Sandlot references.) R&R please!**

* * *

The jet-haired, Japanese girl ran out of her grandmother's house excitedly. Her heart raced and breath quickened as she felt the burn in her legs from each of the ancient stone steps she was climbing. Further and further she ran until she came upon the top of the steps, revealing a centuries old shrine. The girl stared at the shrine for a moment, catching her breath. She slowed her breathing down with a couple of deep, slow breaths. She wanted to see if she could keep her breath to herself instead of the sight which she was about to behold stealing it from her. She failed when she slowly turned to see the orange-pink glow of the sunrise breaking through gray, white and cyan clouds. Below the awesome scene of the sun greeting the sky, the ocean's waves reflected the rays of light like a million glistening jewels. The ocean eventually gave way to the long, snow white sand of the beach, which in turn yielded to the lush green grass of rolling hills with trees standing tall and straight like soldiers on guard.

A gust of wind came from behind her, sending her long hair straight out, whipping chaotically in front of her face. With the breeze came a river of cherry blossom petals from the trees that lined the entrance to the shrine. The petals danced in the air around her as she watched them float gently up into the sky. The girl closed her eyes and let out a soft, contented sigh. She opened her eyes slowly to find that the ocean was there to greet her stare. Far, far off in the distance, she could make out the silhouettes of several odd looking ships. _I wonder what kind of ships those are? _She thought to herself as she cocked her head slightly to the side.

"Kuki! Kuki! Where have you gone to, child!?" an elderly woman's voice called from the bottom of the rock steps.

"Coming, Granny Sanban!" the girl yelled as she started back down the steps.

"My, my child! Whatever has you up this early in the morning?" the sweet elderly woman asked her young grandchild.

"I couldn't sleep, Granny. I wanted to see the sunrise. I haven't been here in a while, so I kinda missed seeing it!" the young girl cheerily replied.

"It seems you inherited my love for the sunrise, child. You know, every morning, your grandfather and I used to watch the sunrise from the top of those steps. Each one was more beautiful than the last..." the old woman said as she stared at the top of the ancient cobble steps, half in a day dream. She quickly snapped out of it and continued to her granddaughter.

"I tell you what, Kuki, why don't you go down to the beach and pick out a pretty seashell for your Granny and I'll get some breakfast ready for us?"

"Okay, Granny! Bye!" the girl said as she darted down the road towards the beach.

"Careful, sweetie!" her elder called out.

The girl soon arrived at the beach and began looking for the perfect seashell for her grandmother. She was distracted, however, by the ringing of several bells. She lifted her sight from the sand towards the ringing and found that it came from out in the ocean. It was those odd looking ships she saw from before.

"I know that kind of technology!" she shouted as she identified the mystery ships. "That must be the KND Navy! That means..." she trailed off. Her heart began to race and her eyes lit up and sparkled. Her mouth opened wide into a smile. "Wally! Wally's here! Oh my gosh! I can't believe it!"

The girl ran out into the ocean until she was knee deep in the blue dyed water. She started giggling and waving towards the 2X4 ships yelling, "Hi, Wally!"

* * *

"Dude! Get up! You gotta see this!" Lucky yelled at Numbuh 4 while he was still fast asleep.

Numbuh 4 was startled badly and had one of his mild freak outs. "Where!? Adults!? I'll kick the crud outta every one of 'em!" he shouted as he struck a fighting pose on top of his rack.

"Whoa! Easy, killer! Just get dressed and come with me." Numbuh 4 did as he was told and followed Lucky up to the bow of the ship.

"Oh, yeah. Check _that_ out..." Lucky said in a suave tone of voice.

He was referring to the long row of Japanese girls lining the docks that they were going to pull into. The were all waving, giggling and blushing. They were yelling out things like, "Hey sailor boys!" or "Can you take me for a boat ride!?" Numbuh 4 did not think it was all that great. His eyes became slits and his face grimaced with contempt.

"You woke me up at the crack of royal dawn to see a bunch of cruddy girls waving at us?"

"Yeah, dude, pretty sweet, huh?" Lucky answered back.

Numbuh 4 looked Lucky straight in his eyes and said in a half whisper, "When you go to sleep tonight, I'm beating you with a frying pan."

"Wha-? B-but...," he pointed to their admirers, "G-girls...Numbuh 4....I...you should be...dude, _girls_!" He was awe struck. He was not expecting that reaction from him. He simply assumed that Numbuh 4 did not understand and , even then, what was there to _not_ understand about the situation?

"I'm goin' back to sleep. If you wake me up again, you're dead." Numbuh 4 turned and headed down below deck.

"Fine, then! Suit yourself, dude!" Lucky yelled after him. He turned towards the crowd of girls, leaned over the railing of the ship and shouted, "Hey ladies! Who wants a piece of Navy cake!? Hahahaha!"

Numbuh 1013 was already ashore, walking up to the JKND, when the first of the ships began to dock.

The JKND's leader began to walk towards him until they met in the middle of the dock. They each bowed to one another.

"Konnichiwa, Hachirou." Numbuh 1013 said to the JKND leader.

"Hello, Numbuh 1013." The leader greeted back. "Welcome to Okinawa."

* * *

Before long, all the ships were docked and the JKND were hard at work making repairs to the battle worn ships. The entire fleet was given 24 hour liberty to do as they wished. For Lucky, that was just not enough time.

"C'mon, boys! Let's go make a story to tell around the root beer bar!" Lucky called to Numbuh 2 and Numbuh 4.

"Story? Like what kind?" asked Numbuh 2.

"Like a 'remember that crazy time we had in Japan' kinda story!" Lucky exclaimed.

"Hey, sounds good to me!" said Numbuh 4.

"So, what are we gonna do to kick this 'crazy time' off,exactly?" asked Numbuh 2.

"Numbuh 4, is that watercraft operational?" asked Lucky.

"Which one?"

"You know the one I mean."

"Oh! Yeah it works, why?"

"Oh, no reason." Lucky said with an evil look in his eyes.

* * *

"YOU GUYS SERIOUSLY SUCK, YOU KNOW THAT!?" Numbuh 4 yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Oh, quit your whining! This'll be fun!" Lucky said back, trying to comfort him.

Lucky had gotten the bright idea of taking the jet powered assault watercraft, from the Battle of Sector A, and tying some rope to the back of it. At the other end of this rope was an inner-tube. Duct-taped securely to said inner-tube was Numbuh 4. Lucky and Numbuh 2 had told Numbuh 4 that it would be 'fun' to inner-tube behind a watercraft with a _jet engine_. So no more than 3 minutes later of convincing Numbuh 4 to do this insane stunt, he was being duct-taped to the inner-tube for 'safety'.

"Easy for you to say, Lucky! You're not the one tied to a freakin' inner-tube that's tied to a jet powered assault boat!" Numbuh 4 attacked.

"Look, I promise to only go faster if you tell me to, ok?" Lucky offered.

"O-ok! But you gotta promise!" Numbuh 4 said as he nervously accepted his shipmate's offer.

Numbuh 2 took out a 2X4 camera and started recording Numbuh 4 sitting helpless in the water.

"This is gonna be so awesome! I'm showing this to everyone when I get home!" he said excitedly.

"You ready!?" Lucky asked.

"N-not yet!" Numbuh 4 yelled back.

"TOO BAD!" Lucky shouted back. He pushed the throttle forward and the craft took off in the water.

"YAAHHHHH!" screamed Numbuh 4 as he was violently jerked along with the watercraft.

Numbuh 4 was dragged through the clear blue water at break-neck speeds. He struggled and flailed to break free from the rubber ring of death, but thanks to the 'safety' measures of his friends, he could not get loose.

"STOP IT!" He yelled to his friends in the boat.

"What did he say!?" Lucky asked Numbuh 2, yelling over the roar of the jet engine.

"I think he said 'Punch it'!" Numbuh 2 clarified.

"See, I knew he'd have fun!" Lucky said extending the throttle further forward, thus accelerating the craft even more.

The ocean started to get choppy and that, combined with 100mph+ speed that he was going, did not make for a good time for Numbuh 4. His whole inner-tube began bouncing up and down on top of the water.

"I-I'm k-kickin' th-the cr-crud ou-outta th-them!" Numbuh 4 said to himself whilst bouncing uncontrollably.

Then, all of the sudden, Lucky turned the boat very sharp. The inner-tube was whipped way out to the side of the craft. The tension in the line was finally too much and it snapped causing Numbuh 4 to go out of control. He was sent speeding through the water towards shore. He hit the sand hard and started to skid on the beach. He was eventually stopped by his head which hit a large rock sticking out of the sand. He immediately saw stars.

Whilst fading in and out of consciousness, he saw the face of a woman standing over him.

She asked him, "Are you ok? How many fingers am I holding up?"

She held up three fingers in front of his face.

"Eleventy-five?" he responded before he passed out.

* * *

Numbuh 4 woke up in a sleeping bag on the floor of some house he had never been to before. He looked around and saw a woman sitting at a coffee table drinking tea. His head was throbbing. He slowly inched his hand toward his forehead and when it finally got there, he found that his head had been bandaged. He could not remember how he got there or what happened before.

"Ugh." he managed to groan.

"Oh! You're awake! Thank goodness! You gave me quite a scare, you know that?" the woman told him.

"W-whot happened?"

"You hit your head, dear. It's amazing you only got a concussion. You must have a pretty thick head!" the woman said as she chuckled to herself.

"W-where am I?"

"My house, silly!"

Her response reminded him of Numbuh 3. It sounded like the kind of thing she would say.

"I should be goin' now." he said as he tried to get up.

He was quickly stopped by the woman.

"Oh no you don't, boy! You have to rest! You hit your head pretty hard, you could pass out if you tried to walk. So you're going to stay here until you get some rest. Now I'm going to the store to get some medicine for the throb I'm sure you're feeling right now, but my granddaughter should be home soon to take care of you. What was your name by the way, little man?"

"W-wally."

"Well my granddaughter should be here any moment to take care of you, Wally."

"Granny! I'm home!" came a voice from within the house accompanied by the opening and closing of a door.

"Ah, there she is." the woman said. "In here, sweetie! We have a guest!"

"A guest? Who is it, Granny?"

"A boy! He got hurt and your Granny's taking care of him!"

"A boy?" the young girl said as she came to the room that the woman and Numbuh 4 were in.

"Sweetie I'd like you to meet-"

"Wally!" said the young girl.

"Kuki!? No way! What are you doing here!?" Numbuh 4 said.

"Wait, you two _know_ each other?" the woman said.

After a lot of explaining and story exchanging, Granny Sanban finally left to go get Numbuh 4 some medicine.

It was only Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 4. Alone.

* * *

"So aside from you hitting your head, what else happened?" Numbuh 3 asked.

"I can't remember but it had something to do with duct-tape and an inner tube."

"Duct-tape and an inner tube?"

"Yep. That's all I know."

"Well, why are you in Japan, silly?"

"For the KND Navy, Kuki. We had to stop 'ere 'cause our ships need repairs."

"So you took Australia back?"

"Sure did. Sector A is nice and safe." After he said that, he kind of dozed off and head bobbed.

"Well, you can tell me all about it after you rest."

Before long Numbuh 4 started to sleep. Numbuh 3 sat right beside him the whole time, watching T.V. She started to get bored of watching it with the volume almost on mute so Numbuh 4 could sleep. She let out a bored sigh and looked down at him. His long, blonde bangs were hanging to the sides of his face. His eyes, which were normally filled with anger or sarcasm, were now closed and had a peacefulness about them. His nose was not scrunched with spite or hate. His mouth was partially open and not in a sneer or frown. He looked different to her somehow.

_This must be how he looked that one night at the tree house._ She thought to herself. _It was so dark I couldn't see his face._

She leaned forward and then down to him. She planted her hands on the floor on either side of him. She just hovered over him and watched his sleeping face. Then she leaned into him to where the tips of their noses were almost touching. His breath warmed her lips.

_This is about how close we were that night. He was so cute blabbing on about the stars. He acts so tough, but he gets so scared whenever I'm close to him. What is he so afraid of?_

Then a pain filled her fluttering heart. _He won't do it... He'll never have the courage to... He'll never...kiss me._

Her eyes filled with tears, but then with determination. _If he won't, I will!_

She went in painfully slow to gently kiss him. She closed her eyes and-

"Um, Kuki?"

She immediately gasped and opened her eyes. There were his eyes to meet hers. She turned the brightest shade of red.

"W-what are d-doing." He said with all the grace of a jackhammer.

"I-I-I was, uh, was..." she quickly tried to come up with an excuse. She found one in her left hand: the T.V. remote. "The remote was over here and I had to reach over you to get it. I guess I slipped. Clumsy me!"

"O-oh. Ok, well, I'm gonna go back to sleep."

"Yeah! You need your rest." she said trying to make this painfully awkward moment go away.

She watched as he turned on his side and fell back asleep. She hugged her knees and buried her face in her legs. She had never felt more embarrassed, more disappointed, and more mad at herself. _So much for my bravery..._

* * *

"_Lost_ is a very strong and ugly word, dude. I prefer, uh, misplaced." Lucky said.

"Dude! You lost him! We're dead if you don't find him!" Numbuh 2 scolded.

The two were back at the docks, arguing over who 'freakin' lost Numbuh 4'.

"Hey, man, _you _were the one on camera duty! Had you been recording him the whole time, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Lucky retorted.

"The stupid thing ran out of batteries!" Numbuh 2 defended.

"We can sit here all day and play the blame game, but it's not gonna bring our shipmate back. Let's get our butts in gear and find him." Lucky offered.

"You're right...I guess. We can get a better look of the area from _Abby. _C'mon let's go." Numbuh 2 told him.

"_Abby_? Who's that?" Lucky asked, following him.

"It's what I named my jet. The one I _saved_ you with." Numbuh 2 said smugly.

"Hey, I was about to unleash some blind, unrelenting _fury _right before you showed up and stopped me! You did _them_ a favor!" Lucky said.

"HA! Yeah, ok." Numbuh 2 said sarcastically.

* * *

Numbuh 4 woke up from his long nap to find that it was already dark outside. He sat up from his make shift bed and held his head for a moment. He shook his head slightly and brought his right leg up to stand. He wobbled for a brief second, but then collected himself. He stood at attention to make sure that he actually had the capacity to stand. He thought he would try his luck at walking. He took two steps forward and found he was fit walk.

_Awesome. I'm not crippled. _he thought.

"Hello?" he called. "Anybody 'ere?"

He received no answer. He walked cautiously around the house and discovered it was empty. He went out the front door and looked around. It was a perfect night. Warm with a nice cool breeze from the ocean. The house was practically right by the beach where he had his accident. It was only down the road a bit. He continued to look and found old, stone steps.

_Wonder where those go? _he thought to himself.

Not having anything better to do, he decided to give in to his curiosity and climb the steps. Up he went, not having any idea what he was going to find once he got to the top. He almost reached the top, but was stopped when he heard a voice. A _girl's _voice. He paused on the steps and decided to listen...

"Why? How come every time I'm so close to kissing that kid, something always happens. We're either interrupted or one of us flakes out. I just wanna kiss him, is that too much to ask? I just want one moment where the both of us can just drop the kidding-around flirty act and just come out with our feelings. Just like that night back at the treehouse..."

Numbuh 4's heart was throbbing. He had never felt this way before. His feelings were like a mix between extremely nervous and absolutely overjoyed.

_Was that really Kuki? Duh, who else could it be stupid...I never knew she felt that way. Well, here's my chance! No more messin' around! Wally Beatles is no coward! _

He looked to the last few remaining steps with a confident stare. He took a deep breath through his nose and snorted it right back out. He climbed one step and then heard a horrific shriek behind him. He spun around and saw a black mass in the sky dashing right for him. Then, a light that seemed brighter than the sun flicked on from the unidentified object in the sky. Numbuh 4 shot his hand up to his eyes to shield them the terribly bright light. The object came close and hovered in the air in front of him. He made out the shape of a jet. More specifically, a 2X4 jet. He heard the craft's cockpit come open and he barely made out a figure standing up.

"Numbuh 4! Oh, man, I'm SO glad we found you!"

"Hoagie?" he yelled at the pilot.

"Hey, I'm here too!" came another voice from the cockpit.

"Lucky?" he yelled again.

"We gotta get back to the ship like now or Numbuh 1013 is gonna set us all on fire!" Numbuh 2 called out to him.

"Are you guys serious!? Of all the times to come get me, you pick now! Really!? Really, you guys!?" Numbuh 4 was enraged. He was seeing every variety of red.

"What?" Numbuh 2 asked, somewhat annoyed. "What are you doing that's so special?"

"That!" He pointed up the stairs to where Numbuh 3 was.

"Who's that?" Numbuh 2 said as he took the light off of Numbuh 4 and moved it to Numbuh 3. "Numbuh 3! What are you doing in Japan!?"

"What's going on!?" she said to Numbuh 2.

"Forget this." Numbuh 4 said to himself as he climbed the remaining steps and revealed himself to Numbuh 3. He walked up and stopped right before her. She stared at him with a confused smile.

"Kuki, I heard what you said... _All of it_... So no more games. No more flirting. No more excuses. I...like you, Kuki. I like you a lot. So...from what I heard...are you gonna stand there all night, or are you gonna come here and give me cruddy kiss?"

"No, I won't give you a cruddy kiss."

"Whot!?" he yelled to her, completely baffled.

"I'll give you an _amazing_ one!" she shouted as she tackled him to the ground.

The two hit the ground with a thud, but neither one felt it because they were in their own little world. The intense light, the shrieking of Numbuh 2's jet, the hard stone tiles they were on, none of it got through to them. She was on top of him giving him the kiss of a lifetime. Their lips were locked together with years of built up flirting and waiting and nothing was going to pry them apart. They kissed until they both needed air and they separated with two huge gasps. They laid their for a moment and just stared in to each others' eyes, breathing heavy from the lack of oxygen.

"Kuki?"

"Yeah?"

"I wasn't done yet."

"Good, 'cause neither was I!"

And with that their lips collided once more. Heads pivoting, hands holding the other close, electricity up and down their spines, they were not about to waste this moment. They made it last for as long they could.

The two finally separated and she rolled off him, laying next to him on the ground. They just laid there, side by side, staring up at the stars. They still looked as bright as ever, despite the bright light which was still on them.

Numbuh 4 cracked a smile and then out of nowhere started to laugh. It must have been infectious because Numbuh 3 started to laugh with him. Their fantasy 'perfect moment' had not been quite what they were expecting, but neither one of them would trade it for the world.

"Dude...Numbuh 4 is a freakin' stud." Lucky said in awe.

"Shut up, Lucky." Numbuh 2 said with chuckle.

* * *

**There you go! I decided to stop yankin' your chain and just let ya have it! I decided to leave you guys with a little bit of closure this time. I really, really, really, hope you guys like this one! Until the next update! Take 'er easy!**

**~~0-l-)**


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